“Aye aye aye” (often spelled “ay ay ay”) comes from Spanish “¡Ay, ay, ay!” – an exclamation expressing various strong emotions like frustration, pain, dismay, or sometimes even affection or admiration. The word “ay” itself is an ancient interjection found across many languages, likely stemming from a natural human vocal response to strong emotion. In Spanish, repeating it three times (”¡Ay, ay, ay!”) intensifies the expression and is even the basis of a popular Mexican…
We are on the first of two of this year’s midsummer roadtrips, the great American tradition. There are six of us (Kim and me, daughter Carolyn and John, and Charlotte & Evelyn) from three generations driving around California in an SUV designed to hold six people and just barely enough luggage for five days and four nights. I am no Chevy Chase, but there are moments when this all feels like a scene from National…
As I drive around San Diego County and prepare to head north today with the entire family (Kim, Carolyn, John, Charlotte and Evelyn), I have noted that the car culture of Southern California makes me ponder many things. As examples, I am impressed by how much the quality and appearance of cars has improved over my adult life. I feel like fifty years ago you would drive around and the cars on the road were…
When I was a kid, a fixture on Saturday afternoon television was ABC’s Wide World of Sports, which dominated the sports anthology broadcasting market from 1961 to 1997. Few TV programs have run longer (Meet the Press, The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, and The Price is Right are among those few). Who can forget “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!” Back in 1986, I was watching Wide World of Sports one day…
The pharmaceutical industry is enormous, representing one of the world’s largest and most valuable sectors. The global pharmaceutical market is valued at approximately $1.5-1.6 trillion annually as of recent years, with consistent growth of 4-6% per year. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter medications. The industry is dominated by large multinational corporations like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Novartis, and Merck, with individual companies often generating $40-80 billion in annual revenue. The industry employs millions…
Flotsam and jetsam are maritime terms that refer to different types of debris found floating in the ocean or washed up on shores, though they’re often used together colloquially to mean “odds and ends” or “miscellaneous items,” and especially things that have no control over their provenance and at at the mercy of fate. Flotsam refers to wreckage or cargo that floats on the water after a ship has sunk or been wrecked. It comes…
We may occasionally try to pretend that the wisdom of age and perhaps the hurdles to attaining a ripe old age make the aged revered. Bullshit. The only honest comment along those lines is that growing old is better than the alternative. There is truth to the fact that wisdom and experience, which mostly only come with age, have value. If only I knew then what I know now is a very common thought that…
When I was 9 years old and living in the middle of Midwestern America, taking a weekly bath and eating Swanson TV dinners while my mother toiled away in graduate school, the blockbuster movie of the year was It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This 1963 American comedy was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and starred Spencer Tracy and the best known comedians of that era including Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett,…
As I have mentioned, I am going through the process of applying for dual citizenship from Italy by virtue of my father’s birthright as an Italian citizen. I am doing this for myself and my youngest son, Thomas, who really prompted the process. To do this we have to go through what is called a judicial review process and that requires a whole lot of documentation. The company I am using to do this is…
The other day, Kim and I came to the realization that we had absolutely nothing planned for this weekend. Kim had no shows or show rehearsals. Due to school-ending season, most of the movies out in the market are kids movies. There were no neighborhood events. Nothing, not even necessary shopping chores. My daughter and her brood arrive next weekend and our dance card will be actively filled for a month with activities and lots…